Workplace Ethical Dilema

Ethical dilemmas can occur at any workplace. For this reason, codes of ethics are developed to help guide and set the standards for moral conduct for that profession. Code of ethics also helps establish procedures on how to deal with misconduct. While serving in the United States Navy, I came across several ethical dilemmas in my workplace. One dilemma that I remember clearly is one in which an officer (higher rank) and enlisted (lower rank) were involved in fraternization. Fraternization in the Navy is not acceptable and is referred to as a relationship between an enlisted and officer who are dating, who engage in intimate behavior, share a home, borrow money or gamble. Fraternization in the military can be punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. On board the Navy ship there were approximately a total of 350 service members who were both men and women. Interaction between both sexes was inevitable; however two service members on board took it too far. There was a service member (enlisted male) who began to have a relationship with his boss (female officer). Both agreed to keep their relationship a secret while onboard the ship. One after noon I was out in town at a local store when I spotted both members holding hands together. I was not friends with either one, and did not say anything to them. I realized that their behavior was non ethical, but I did not want to be involved. Looking back at the situation my thoughts about it followed the principles of nonmaleficence. Nonmaleficence refers as doing no harm or mischief. I thought to myself that they were not causing harm to anyone therefore I did not want to report them. Through an ethical relativism view I realized that the dilemma was not morally wrong however, the situation in which they were engages did not follow the ethical standards of the workplace. However my view about the whole situation changed when I talked about it with another co-worker and she informed me that the female officer was married. The fact that she was married completely changed my perspective about the situation. Now, not only was it ethically wrong but it was morally wrong too. At this point the dilemma then interfered with my personal values. My personal values are may not be the same to the ones of others; however the choices they made went against my beliefs and values. Growing up I was always taught that fidelity and commitment to your partner is very important. I put myself in the spouse’s shoes and realized I would never want to go through that. The behaviors the engaged were bothersome and I felt very uncomfortable around them. I can relate this dilemma to the thoughts of Socrates, that no one voluntarily does evil when they know good. If evil is done is because there is some type of benefit within for that person committing evil. The officer in this case is aware of the evil she is committing, however she is gaining comfort, perhaps love, or pleasure from her behavior with the enlisted male. Both personnel practiced ethical egoism, due to fact that they only care about their happiness and did not care about those who got hurt. This is when I realized that I needed to speak up about this dilemma. In order to resolve this dilemma I needed to speak up and report what I knew and saw to my higher chain of command. I would have to say that I applied the theory of Kant. Good will and motivation was the base of my decision to report the dilemma. I knew that making this decision was going to bring bad consequences for both members, however I did what I thought was best. In my decision making process with the Kantian approach, ethical decisions were based on my sense of duty. The word duty is derived from the Greek word deon (deontological). Duty refers to the acts of a person based on the principles of morality. In this decision making approach I had to make decisions based on what is right rather than the good or bad consequences that will follow. A person must make the morally right decision regardless of the good or bad outcome. Categorical imperative is what determines whether an act is morally right or wrong. The requirements of categorical imperatives are that moral principles are applied by respecting humanity. In this deontological point of view a person should act rational person and make self-imposed decisions. After reporting the situation to the chain of command, I was asked to speak up and testify along with others who had observed the same behaviors. Both services members were punished by the UCMJ and forced out of the military. The consequences to their behavior are what constitute it to be wrong. The ethical dilemma went against my personal values and belief. This is why I decided to speak up and report what I knew regardless of the consequences. Both members were aware of the good and evil and instead decided to go for the evil not that they could hurt others. This ethical dilemma not only affected them in a personal level but affected the work place as well. After all the consequences, sailors onboard are very careful about fraternization. Workplace ethical dilemmas can happen at any work place, therefore it is important to maintain an updated code of ethics. This will help and guide employees on procedures , employee conduct and misconduct consequences.

Pericles Funeral Speech and Jefferson Declaration of Independence Essay

September 11, 2001, two planes crash into the World Trade Center, people diving out windows to their deaths, a plane crashes into the Pentagon, hijackers overtaken by passengers and crash the plane into a field in Pennsylvania. December 2003, mass graves uncovered in Iraq, compliments of Saddam Husayn. May, 2004, a web page shows terrorists cutting off the head of Nick Berg. August 2004, over 350 children are executed by terrorists in a school in Russia. Democracy is being threatened by enigmatic zealots all over the world. The United States have fought for Democracy as far back as the Revolutionary War, and both World Wars. Once again our military is being asked to make the ultimate sacrifice in the attack on democracy against these zealots. Fighting for democracy has been the cause of wars since the days of Pericles. Pericles states that â€Å"Our constitution does not seek to copy the laws of our neighbors; we are an example to others, not imitators of them†. During his time there was usually one ruler that had the power over life and death, the mass of people did not matter. In Athens this was far from the case. Athens created its own government, one that was for the people, and benefited the people. Pericles said with conviction, â€Å"As far as public life is concerned, we live as free men†. The people of Athens had a government that supported them; they were all equal in the eyes of the government. The city of Athens stood by itself; it needed no others to help it. She left her gates open to all and did not concern herself with excluding foreigners. Her military stood alone. Athens never advanced into another territory with Allies; she did it alone. He also marvels in the fact that Athens does not live for the fear of war. He states that they live free, but are always ready if in danger. He even goes so far to say that his enemies are happy with a victory over a small part of the army. Pericles praises Athens for her form of government – democracy – because it is only in a democracy that citizens are encouraged to contribute and participate in self-rule. Democracy brings equality, merit brings public success, social and economic mobility is encouraged, and the law protects all: â€Å"We alone consider the man who refuses to take part in city affairs useless,† Pericles announces. And he gets in a  dig at Sparta by proudly proclaiming that â€Å"rather than look upon discussion as a stumbling-block in the way of action, we think it is an indispensable preliminary to any wise action at all.† Pericles encourages his audience â€Å"to realize the greatness of Athens† and enjoy everything the city has to offer: â€Å"Further, we provide many ways to refresh the mind from the burdens of business. We hold contests and offer sacrifices all the year round, and the elegance of our private establishments forms a daily source of pleasure and helps to drive away sorrow. The magnitude of our city draws the produce of the world into our harbor, so that to the Athenian the fruits of other countries are as familiar a luxury as those of his own.† What Pericles talks about in his speech is almost dimmed in importance by how he delivers the message. It is Pericles’ rhetoric that makes this speech famous and the model for so many others in the course of history. Throughout his speech, Pericles holds up glory as the incentive for men to rush to battle for their freedom: Athens is a glorious city because of the sacrifices of previous generations of men, and this generation, too, must shoulder its burden. And while fighting for your country can help bring about a victory, it also has the benefit of bringing you personal glory, something Pericles believes can be gained in no other way than by dying for your country: â€Å"Realize for yourself the power of Athens, and feed your eyes upon her day after day, till you become her devoted lover. Then, when all her greatness breaks upon you, reflect that it was by courage, sense of duty and a keen feeling of honor in action that men were enabled to win all this, and that no personal failure in an enterprise could make them consent to deprive their country of their valor, but they laid it at her feet as the most glorious contribution they could offer. By this mutual offering of their lives made by them all, they each of them individually received that renown which never grows old. For a sepulcher they have won not so much that tomb in which their bones are here deposited, but that noblest of shrines wherein their glory is laid up to be eternally remembered upon every occasion on which deed or story shall fall for its commemoration. For heroes have the whole earth for their tomb.† Pericles’ speech is certainly persuasive. Its passion is based in reality. It is a powerful to see a nation mourn its war dead. In the end Pericles  accomplishes his goal to inspire a city in mass mourning for its lost warriors. Woodrow Wilson was faced with a call to arms when in 1917 he proclaimed American entrance into World War I a crusade to make the world â€Å"safe for democracy.† Pericles, in his funeral oration, talks of valor as being very honorable. He comments that â€Å"Choosing to die resisting, rather than to live submitting† is a bold and courageous act and it deserves praise and glory. He says the soldiers â€Å"fled only from dishonor, but met danger face to face†. Abraham Lincoln was faced with a similar task. The Gettysburg Address was delivered on November 19, 1863, at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery. Lincoln’s speech is more humble than Pericles, but just as passionate. He is careful in not mentioning either side of the war; he only speaks of the nation as a whole. â€Å"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether the nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as the final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that this nation might live.† Lincoln pays tribute to not only the Union army, but the Confederate as well, by saying â€Å"The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.† There are obvious parallels between Pericles’ and Lincoln’s speeches. They both set out to accomplish the same thing just in different ways. Another famous writer and scholar with a similar view of Athenian society, Sophocles, chose to voice his opinion through playwright. Specifically in his two great tragedies Oedipus the King and Antigone. Pericles and Sophocles, although coming from different ends of the spectrum (the aforementioned oratory or rhetoric and the latter fictional), both consider the individual and the state in their works and come to similar conclusions with some exceptions. Pericles expresses his views in his â€Å"Funeral Oration†,  where he boasts of the great qualities of Athens, its citizens and soldiers. Sophocles injects his thoughts and ideas into his two masterpieces, Oedipus the King and Antigone. In the following paper, I will compare the men’s ideas and views on the subject of the individual and the state. In particular, their thoughts on the importance of military excellence, honor, courage, and views on women. Both men considered loyalty in battle and involvement in public matters very important. According to Pericles, military achievements and honor make up for anything wrong one does as a citizen (for example, refusing to take part in city affairs). The Greeks obviously looked upon excellence in the military very highly. of all our neighbors, we alone consider the man who refuses to take part in city affairs as useless†¦.For there is justice in the claim that steadfastness in his nation’s battles provides a cloak to cover a man’s other imperfections; the good action blots out the bad, and his merit as a citizen more than outweighs his faults as an individual (Pericles 58-59, 60). Sophocles expresses similar views on the matter in his play Antigo ne, Creon talks of loyalty to the state as having utter importance: As I see it, whoever assumes the task, the awesome task of setting the city’s course, and refuses to adopt the soundest policies but fearing someone, keeps his lips locked tight, he’s utterly worthless†¦.But whoever proves his loyalty to the state – I’ll prize that man in death as well as life (Antigone 48-49). Creon backs up his words with actions. He goes on to talk of Eteocles and Polynices, the two sons of Oedipus: Eteocles will be given a proper burial, since he went down fighting for Thebes, being loyal to his city; Polynices, on the other hand, committed treason and went against everything Creon stands for and believes in, therefore â€Å"he must be left unburied, his corpse carrion for the birds and dogs to tear, an obscenity for the citizens to behold! These are my principles. Never at my hands will the traitor be honored above the patriot† (Antigone 49). As examined, patriotism was held very highly by the Greeks, as seen in Pericles’s oration and Sophocles’s plays we again come across an intersection in both statesmen’s ideas, this time on the subject of courage. Pericles, in his funeral oration, talks of valor as being very honorable. He comments that â€Å"Choosing to die resisting, rather than to live submitting† (Pericles 60) is a bold and co urageous act and it deserves praise and glory. He says the soldiers â€Å"fled only from  dishonor, but met danger face to face† (Pericles 60). Do these characteristics bring anyone we know to mind? The answer is yes, and two people come to mind: Antigone and Oedipus. Sophocles’s heroin (Antigone) is the ultimate example of the subject Pericles discusses. True, Antigone was not a soldier, but she went against her uncle’s beliefs and commands, and did what was right according to the gods. In burying her brother and then announcing her actions to the world, she â€Å"fled only from dishonor, but met danger face to face.† Antigone questioned Creon and proudly stated she was the offender, and did not regret her actions. Oedipus, instead of giving in to fate, battled it for as long as he could until fate finally beat him. Although it seems that Sophocles writings parallel Pericles views on women’s inferiority, certain excerpts provide a basis that Sophocles’ views contradict those presented in the Funeral Oration. Pericles states, â€Å"if I must say anything on the subject of female excellence†¦.Great will be your glory in not falling short of your natural character; and greatest will be hers who is least talked of among the men whether for good or for bad† (Pericles 61-62). In an excerpt from Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, it is seen that Oedipus gives great weight to Jocasta’s opinion. Oedipus compares stories with Jocasta on the death of the king. He listens to Jocasta’s side of the story, not putting her in a subordinate position or looking at her as inferior (Oedipus the King 23). In Summation, Pericles and Sophocles (although coming from different ends of the spectrum) both consider the individual and the state in their works and come to similar conclusions with some exceptions on the different aspects of the relationship. They both praise loyalty, involvement in state affairs, and honorable death. To note, in my research I found more expression of Sophocles’s views which correlate with Pericles’s in Antigone and not so much in Oedipus the King. All three of three of the pieces were written in times when the definition of freedom, independence, democracy were still new and not well defined in their respective societies. But still in each piece the message is similar and very clear. That message is that it is necessary and good for people to sacrifice themselves for their beliefs and the good of their society.

Canadian Trade History Essay

It is due not later than Sunday March 3, at 6:00pm, submitted to Moodle You need to use at least 3 sources: your textbook, your class notes and 1 other source of your choice. Sources need to be cited properly. Your essay must cover all periods of trade: pre-European contact, early contact/colonial, late colonial, American-dominated, international. In each period, include what was traded, by whom, and for later periods, in what amounts ($). Papers should be written in proper essay style, with SHORT introductions and conclusions. Stick to the facts, as you space limit does not allow for much extra. The Canadian traded history. The trade is beginning with the neighbors, traded with the same value of the animals, good and the food you want. And in that time the money still no exists yet, thus neighbors and villages are trade with other things, this is the trading started. And it grew bigger and bigger to city trade with the city country trade with country, and crossing domain trading with country. Such as European trading good and slaves in China around 800 B. C. and there is not much people try to crossing the domain with the trade, because it is dangerous and took long time to get to other countries. Until the sail technique and been used for 1000 years. In1497, just five years after Columbus landed in the Caribbean John Cabot (Giovanni Cabotto), an Italian whose ships were financed by England’s King Henry VII, landed on the shores of Newfoundland, off the east coast of North America. And this is how Canadian trade history start. The national people were the first arrive in the North America live in the good social, health lives, hunting animals, trading with different tribes. But everything was changed after the EU came in with metal weapons, guns, food, and more and more. And the Indian changed their lives to better hunting and cutting fur and feather skills. But after the war, the national people gone to the north part of the NA, and their live is not better then any one else. Cold weather, sickness, war, and food are taking their life away. Only the EU took control over of NA after 1400. And the US and Canada become the colony of UK, trading making business around the world, and Canada are the biggest trading partner in that time. Few years after the Canada and UK had the war with US because US wants to be independent on their own, but uk don’t want them to be so because they still want to control the US and Canada. Thus the Trading is stopped and war. After the war trading start again. In that time the New York is the biggest trading city market in the NA. lots of Canadian are traded in New York, goods, foods , weapons and so on. And because the war Canadian are hate and anger about the American but we are the biggest traded partner in NA, so we are kind the anger about them, but we can’t live without them on the trade and business county. Until now the US still is the biggest trading partner in the NA.

Bhagavad Gita Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bhagavad Gita - Essay Example it as having a Western equivalent: â€Å"Hindus find in it much the same kind of inspiration and guidance which Christians find in the New Testament† (Shideler 308). While the Christian bible contains lists of do’s and don’ts, The Bhagavad-Gita takes a different view to morality. The views expressed in the work stem from the Eastern circular notion of time, as opposed to the Western linear view of time. This, among other reasons, is what makes the work difficult to Western audiences. In the Christian bible, killing another person is expressly forbidden. In The Bhagavad-Gita, taking the life of another person isn’t suggested or recommended expressly, but it isn’t viewed as absolutely right or wrong either. Of course, this is not to say that the Hindu religion doesn’t seek peace in general, either. The work begins with Arjuna pondering a moral dilemma: â€Å"Evil they may be,/ Worst of the wicked./ Yet if we kill them/ Our sin is greater./ How could we dare spill/ The blood that unites us?† All of the questions answered and asked from this stem from this original question. To Western audiences, there is an expectation of a religious work to tell you how to act. There is simplicity in something being either right or wrong. If we do not know easily if a particular action is right or wrong, that might cause a certain amount of anxiety. As time is viewed as linear in the West, there is a certain progression that is expected. The longer a person lives, the more that person knows, and the more that person is able to choose the correct path in order to lead to where this person wants to go. However, in the East, since time is circular, there is not this same progression expected: â€Å"In the Hindu view, history is a great turning of the wheel, the flowing forth of the manifestations of Brahman and its return to itself† (Shideler 309). Krishna answers Arjuna by stating that the path itself, whichever choice happens to be made, is not what is

Management Accounting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management Accounting - Research Paper Example In a case where the building is not being utilized, the cost which is $9000 will be paid. Explanation: The variable unit cost (unit cost of hamburgers) remains the same even if the number of units sold change. However the total cost increases as the increased number units is multiplied by the unit cost. On the other hand the unit fixed cost and total fixed cost (building rent) remains the same since its cost is not dependent on the number of units sold therefore all the cost has to be paid for the rent. Financial accounting illustrates the performance of a business over specific periods (usually at the end of an accounting year). They are directed towards external users of accounting information such as investors and creditors. These accounts typically present a historic view on the financial performance of the business [1] Management accounting is used by the management to record, plan and control the activities of a business and to help in taking decisions. They can be made for any period or accounting year. It provides information for internal users like the employees, managers, and executives of the company. Management accounts largely focus on analyzing historical performance to give budgets and forecasts for the future. [1] GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) and Accounting Standards are followed in financial accounting while in managerial accounting there are no legal requirements to prepare management accounts. [2] Reporting Format In management accounting confidential financial reports are prepared for the exclusive use of top management within an organization. Specific accounting formulas and equations are used to reach to these reports. Such reports may include: Sales Forecasting reports; Budget analysis and comparative analysis; Feasibility studies; Merger and consolidation reports While on the other hand financial accounting helps prepare financial reports, that include the basic reporting requirements of profitability, liquidity, solvency and stability. Both internal and external users can view these reports. [2] Time Period of Information Managerial Accounting gives the management those reports that are future-oriented, while Financial Accounting give reports based on historical information to use statistical methods to reach at future values. [2] Detail of Information The details from financial accounts provide information on the business as one unit rather than analyzing the different elements of the business. [2] The management accounts focus on specific areas of the activities performed by the business such as information about its products, the different locations of business or the information about the departments. [2] Nature of Information The nature of information provided by financial accounts is mostly monetary. While management accou